SENATE PASSES MAZIARZ NET METERING BILL

Senate Bill 6700, sponsored by Senator George Maziarz, Chairman of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, was unanimously adopted yesterday. The bill is an important component ofSenator Maziarz’s energy agenda, which is focused on growing our economy by encouraging innovation and the development of clean, renewable energy.

Net metering allows the owner of an onsite renewable energy system to receive credit on their utility bill for any unused power supplied to the electric grid by the system. The credit then is used to offset the power that is taken from the grid when the customer consumes more energy than the system is generating. “This bill is a win-win, it will help to create jobs, allows non-residential customers to protect themselves from rising energy costs and helps to encourage the development of wind, solar and other clean energy technologies,” Maziarz said.

While a bill on net metering was adopted in 2008, it included language that unintentionally restricted the size of the systems that non-residential customers could net meter to well below the two megawatt maximum that the bill provided. Senator Maziarz’s bill corrects this problem and clears the way for non-residential customers to install systems sized appropriately for their energy needs.

Clean energy advocates across New York State hailed the passage of the Maziarz Bill as an important step in the right direction "Today's passage of the net metering amendment will have a major impact on our ability to create green jobs, in addition to the important role it will play in reducing energy costs and carbon footprints," said Carol E. Murphy, Executive Director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE NY). "There is a strong demand among commercial customers for renewable energy systems, and local installers across the state have millions of dollars worth of pending contracts that can now move forward. We commend Senator Maziarz for his ongoing efforts to support net metering and ensure New York's clean energy businesses have every opportunity to grow and succeed."

“As we move forward with an eye toward creating jobs and developing energy strategies for our future, I look forward to working on behalf of the people of this state to make progress in this critical area,” Senator Maziarz concluded.